Composition and method

The present invention relates to fire-stop products, and methods relating thereto. In particular, the present invention relates to fire-stop sealants, fire-stop coatings, fire-stop adhesives and fire-stop putties.

In building construction, materials used to make, for example, walls and doors are generally able to act as a fire barrier for a sufficient time to enable a building to be safely evacuated. They also serve to contain a fire within a specific area for a limited period. However, the region where a door fits into a wall, or the region where a wall joins the ceiling or where a pipe, for example, passes through a wall, may be considered as an area where there is a break in this fire barrier. It is therefore common practice to use sealants, putties, coatings, adhesives and the like which contain a fire-resistant compound. These products (hereinafter fire-stop products) are able to help contain the fire within a confined area defined by the doors and walls.

Fire-stop products typically char and swell rather than burn and thus form a fire barrier. A fire-stop product is selected according to its rating. This rating relates to the time for which the product will typically maintain a fire barrier, and is dependent upon the amount of product used and the quantities of fire-resistant components present therein.

A fire-stop product is typically selected to have a rating which will match the room in which it is used. For example, in particular a room of a building, if the least fire-resistant part of the building is the door, and this will burn in one hour, then a fire-stop product having a rating of at least one hour would typically be selected.

When architects design buildings, they often specify particular fire-stop products which should be used in certain parts of the building.

Insurance companies often insure buildings based on the knowledge that the specified fire-stop products are in fact used in the places detailed.

However, fire-stop products are often applied at the end of construction. At this time, people may be running over-budget or may wish to finish a job quickly, and it is sometimes the case that the correct fire-stop product is not used. For example, a fire-stop product having a lower rating which is less expensive may be used in place of a fire-stop product having a higher rating. Or, alternatively, a product which does not comprise any fire-stopping agent may be used. This can have very serious consequences.

If a fire is not able to be contained within a specific area of a building for a sufficient period, people may not be able to be evacuated as quickly as necessary.

In addition, fire may spread much more rapidly and many more rooms or areas of the building may be damaged than would have been the case if the correct fire-stop product had been used.

As the consequences of using the wrong fire-stopping product may be so grave, it is highly desirable to check that the correct product has been used when building construction or, for example renovation, is complete.

Insurance companies often require proof that the correct fire-stop product has been used. Some firms of builders may give guarantees or certificates. However the inadequacy of these may only be revealed when it is already too late.

It may be possible to take a sample of a fire-stop product from a building to a laboratory for analysis. However, this would be cumbersome, time-consuming and expensive.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fire-stop product comprising a characterising marker, wherein the presence of said characterising marker can be detected by a diagnostic method at the site where the product is located.

By the site where the product is located is meant the building or area thereof in which the product is used. This does not necessarily mean the specific location in terms of the actual joint or the like in which the product is placed, but refers to the vicinity of this joint, for example the room in which the joint is found. Thus, the product may be removed from the joint and tested at that location, in the immediate vicinity of the joint (or other place) from which it was removed.

However an embodiment in which the fire-stop product is tested in situ, for example without removing a sample of the product is within the scope of the invention.

The diagnostic method by which the characterising marker of the fires-stop product may be identified is defined below, in relation to the second aspect of the present invention.

The characterising marker is preferably a stable chemical component which can be detected in the fire-stop product after a period of at least 1 week, preferably at least 1 month, preferably at least 3 months, preferably at least 6 months, preferably at least a year, more preferably at least 5 years, and most preferably at least 10 years.

The characterising marker is preferably present in the fire-stop product in an amount of at least 0.001 wt %, more preferably at least 0.005 wt %, more preferably at least 0.01 wt %, more preferably at least 0.05 wt %, and most preferably at least 0.09 wt %.

The characterising marker of the fire-stop product is preferably present in an amount of up to 20 wt %, preferably up to 10 wt %, more preferably up to 5 wt %, preferably up to 1 wt %, preferably up to 0.5 wt %, preferably up to 0.3 wt %, more preferably up to 0.2 wt %, preferably up to 0.15 wt %, most preferably up to 0.11 wt %.

The characterising marker may comprise any suitable component which may be detected by a diagnostic method.

A characterising marker may comprise a component which is revealed under certain conditions, for example under UV light, or when a chemical or heat or other external stimulus is applied. Thus in such embodiments, identification of the marker in situ may be possible.

Preferably the characterising marker comprises a chemical component which may be selectively extracted using a solvent system. Other components may also be extracted, but preferably they are not. In embodiments in which further components are also extracted, it is possible to uniquely identify the marker by a diagnostic test, despite the presence of said further components. Any suitable solvent system may be used, as is discussed below with respect to the method of the second aspect of the invention.

The characterising marker may comprise a single chemical compound or may comprise a mixture of two or more chemical compounds. For example, the characterising marker may comprise two compounds which when present in a solid fire-stop product do not react but when both are dissolved in a solvent system, a chemical reaction occurs. This chemical reaction may be accompanied by, for example, heat, effervescence, or, a colour change.